Apple flare issue

[nelson61]

Apple has the answer to the flare issue,

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2410679,00.asp

Fairly straight forward according to Apple.
"purplish or other colored flare, haze, or spot" can occur in "[m]ost small cameras, including those in every generation of iPhone."

But pcmag tests report:

"Of the phones tested, only two were able to really suppress flare: the iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S III. Putting the iPhone 4 aside, which has a camera that is now pretty dated (and, despite a cleaning before the test, is probably not better off having lived in my pants pocket for the past two years), the latest and greatest iPhone 5 was clearly the worst offender of the bunch"
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2410272,00.asp

Sure sounds like PR spin by Apple on this issue.

Would have been better if they had just said that the IP5 has a great camera with improved low light photography, but does have flare issues.

 

[Anole]

And their next product?

Why, the Apple iCamera of course!

... With none of that annoying lense flare the phones have.

 

[digiblur]

Maybe they can make a case with a corrective lense and give it to everyone

Sent from my C64 w/Epyx FastLoad cartridge

 

[Anole]

A toilet paper tube would do the job.
Just a question of how long to make it.

I'd start at an inch and go up or down from there.
Can just see the Apple-haters having a field day with that idea!
... and posting the obligatory funny pictures!

Obviously, a smaller diameter tube could be shorter.
And should be flat black inside.

I suspect the problem has to do with the anti-reflection coatings on the lens or sapphire window.
Anyone with experience in optics should be able to identify and fix the problem in 10 minutes.
You'd think the original design was good, so I suspect it's a manufacturing screw up.

Of course Apple will never admit to an error, so I'm sure we'll be treated to some good laughs between now 'n Xmas



posted from a flareless iPhone 4.

 

[3HaloODST]

Makes me glad I'm sticking with my 4S . No antennagate, no scuffgate, no purplegate.

 

[TheForce]

Ok 99.99999% of people taking pictures know nothing about photography much less lens physics. Photographers know about lens flare and what causes it. Good pictures is where the sun light or other light is behind you not in front of you. However, some shooting opportunities require that you shoot with the sun at an angle off to your front. Here is where Photographers use lens shade and or a flag to shield the light from causing a flare. No smart phone camera has a lens shade, and it's unlikely non photographers would use one if it was available as an accessory to attach to the phone lens anyway. The easiest way to take a picture and eliminate the flare is to place your hand as a "flag" off to the side shielding the sun from lens.

"I take a lot of photos and video with my iPhone and this is a really annoying problem for me. I've confirmed the issue on multiple phones, so I know it's not just me," Kaido wrote.

BULL sh*t!

This is the attitude of most who insist on perfect picture quality but make no effort to learn photography. "It's not just me" Actually yes it IS just YOU! I'll bet I could take the same cameras you failed with and get the perfect picture every time you couldn't. The difference is I understand photography and you don't. When my picture doesn't come out I try to determine what I did wrong and correct it. You just want to blame the camera for you own inability and ignorance.

 

[sethwell]

This is the attitude of most who insist on perfect picture quality but make no effort to learn photography. "It's not just me" Actually yes it IS just YOU! I'll bet I could take the same cameras you failed with and get the perfect picture every time you couldn't. The difference is I understand photography and you don't. When my picture doesn't come out I try to determine what I did wrong and correct it. You just want to blame the camera for you own inability and ignorance.

So true! You nailed it.

I have not noticed it on mine and am just a casual picture taker. Common sense tells you not to have a bright light behind the subject you are shooting. Plus experience with a point and shoot in the past would know as well.

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[bhelms]

I've been a "photographer pretender" for years dating back to my Photography Merit Badge days and my own basement B&W-only processing lab. Blaming the equipment for poor results always made me laugh. It immediately points to someone who never studied the art! I'm sure there are exceptions but most bad photos are "operator error", and such errors include the simplest "gotchas" like forgetting to change batteries, or the ASA setting, or exposure "bump". And the simplest error of all is not studying the available light and composing the picture accordingly to match the equipment's capabilities. Automated cameras both help and confound the situation. Trying to make the process "poka yoke" (error-proof) is...well...a fundamental error itself, at least with affordable technology.

As to the iP5 dilemma - maybe Apple should partner with Ball Aerospace. Weren't they the ones who designed the solution for the problems with the optics in Hubble ?!?

 

[dangue]

I think the only reason this is a big issue is because the flare is purple (presumably because of the sapphire lens cover and refraction). If it was just "normal" lens flare everyone would blame the photographer for bad positioning, but since the purple flare makes it different than normal, it's a design defect. I just wonder if apple had any notion of this issue when designing and testing the camera. Seems hard to miss.

 

[TheForce]

I think the only reason this is a big issue is because the flare is purple (presumably because of the sapphire lens cover and refraction). If it was just "normal" lens flare everyone would blame the photographer for bad positioning, but since the purple flare makes it different than normal, it's a design defect. I just wonder if apple had any notion of this issue when designing and testing the camera. Seems hard to miss.

Nah... Purple, green, orange, blue, white, rectangular, concentric circular, diamond, straight line, whatever..., now this is sounding like a fishing expedition to blame Apple for the users' ignorance. In other words, if it wasn't purple they would be complaining it was orange. The answer is to admit you ( not you Dangue but the ones complaining) don't know what you are doing with a camera and either learn it or shut the F UP!

 

[tomcrown1]

Consumer report also stated that the flare issues on the iPhone is a normal condition that exits with all cameras.

Why do SLR lens come with lens hoods if flare is not a normal problem with photography?

Do you think that manufactures will include an accessory if it is not needed?


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[TheForce]

Maybe the phone makers need to put up a notice bubble to warn users that they are not using the camera properly and the picture will not be perfect. They should go take a course in basic picture taking before using the camera.

It is unlikely that a lens shade will ever come with the phone cameras because the concept of the phone camera is that of a convenient photo documentary device, not something to take award winning picture perfect art. A shade that could work will be an awkward protrusion and never get used anyway. Today's technology, it is unrealistic that a smart phone camera has capability of a $1500 DSLR. I'd compare with a $500 Digital but these don't usually come with extended shade either.

BTW- I love my Thunderbolt phone camera for one main reason. It's always with me and in a pinch, I can get a good picture or OK video. If I want better I carry a better camera. If I do a work for hire, I will be using a broadcast level camera kit with professional lighting and sound equipment. But even the broadcast rig with a $13,000 lens can have lens flares if I aim it at the sun.

 

[nelson61]

Whole bunch of aftermarket vendors are coming out with cases that " shield".

But, when the rubber hits the road, why would you want some bulky thing in your pocket?

I just take a bunch of pictures with my phone and pick the nicest looking one ( my top of the line Nikon has not seen the light of day in more than a year). Then, if I am reallly desperate, I run the photo thru Adobe and clean it up (rarely).

 

[Anole]

When I got into photography, ya used FILM, and you Liked it!
Make a mistake there, and you didn't know for Days.
Needless to say, you learned to not make mistakes.

Now with digital photography and large displays, you can SEE if you screwed up.
Plus, today you take 10 shots where I took one on film, for no extra cost.
So reshooting from different angles is a given.


On the other hand, no one here has put the camera in question up against others for a fair evaluation.
So, blaming the one guy in the original review, doesn't fly.
It most certainly IS possibly a manufacturing defect in the first batch (yes, several million).
When the truth finally comes out, I'm sure it will be both amusing and embarrassing.

 

[mperdue]

This is a poor photo of my camera. If you look you'll see a lens hood that is there to prevent the type of lens flare that people are seeing with the iPhone 5. I guarantee you that this setup is far better that what you get in a cell phone but it would still exhibit the same sort of problems without the hood.

 

[John Kotches]

The only issue I see with the "you don't know how to take a photo" argument is that the 4s doesn't seem to exhibit the same symptoms.



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[TheForce]

It most certainly IS possibly a manufacturing defect in the first batch (yes, several million).

I never considered that this could be a defect in the manufacture of humans and their ability to learn photography. I guess there are several million humans with this defect.


John- As I understand the older iphone 3Gs used a front side illumination imager CMOS sensor. The 4s used a superior backside illumination sensor which places the sensor close to the filter and lens. This yields superior pixel color density and reduced crosstalk. Additionally it permits wider angle view ( note: wider angle is more prone to lens flare on one hand but less back element flare illumination on the other). I don't know what sensor the iphone 5 has but assume it is a similar BSI CMOS design from Omnivision. If it went better, then it might be using the newest BSI-2 technology which uses the same sensor layout but much smaller pixel size of 1.1 micron. Apple also describes the lens system as 5 element. I wonder if this is accurate or whether marketing has interpreted the 4 layer metal sensors on the backside of the diode as 4 of the "elements" Seems unlikely they have 5 sapphire lens elements in front of the sensor since the thickness of the sensor is near half the case thickness. regardless of the system in the iphone5, I don't see the flare issue being any different than the 4s from a technical analysis. I still say the whole issue is user knowledge. My daughter has a 4s and never gets flares but she is a formally trained photographer and dark room tech so she has a good technical understanding of how to "take pictures" She has several cameras but takes mostly with her iphone because it is always with her.

 

[Tyralak]

Makes me glad I'm sticking with my 4S . No antennagate, no scuffgate, no purplegate.

Galaxy SII Skyrocket here. None of those issues either.

 

[Tyralak]

Photographers know about lens flare and what causes it.

J.J. Abrams

 

[John Kotches]

J.J. Abrams

jj abrams causes lens flare?



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